B.C Matthews Hall (BMH) on Waterloo's Campus, across Columbia St W.
Focus on aging, health and well-being for your PhD in Recreation and Leisure Studies with this unique collaborative PhD program offered by the Faculty of Health.
Through an interdisciplinary approach, you’ll develop a broad understanding of issues related to the health and wellbeing of our aging population while advancing your knowledge in your designated field in recreation and leisure.
The first collaborative PhD program in Canada with a focus on aging, health and wellbeing, this program provides opportunities for cross-departmental collaborations, access to diverse course offerings and resources including dissertation committee members who can add unique perspectives in addressing emerging research problems.
Be prepared with the training you need for a career as a scholar, researcher, or a policy analyst for government, private sector or university positions.
Research areas
- Health information management
- Illness and injury prevention
- Dementia and dementia care
- Social and environmental aspects of aging
- Health services and continuum of care
- Nutrition and healthy lifestyles
- Vascular aging and cerebrovascular disease
- Epidemiology and aging
- Mobility and aging
- Gender, sexuality, ethnicities and aging
Program overview
Department/School: Recreation and Leisure Studies
Faculty: Faculty of Health
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Collaborative, Doctoral, Research
Length of program: 48 months (full-time)
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Thesis
Application Deadlines
- February 1
Key contacts
Rebecca Zehr
rjzehr@uwaterloo.ca
My time in the department of Recreation and Leisure Studies has been inspiring. I am constantly reaching outside of my comfort zone to explore new ways of knowing and understanding the world around me. I love how thinking outside-the-box is celebrated, not discouraged.
Supervisors
- Review finding a supervisor resources to learn how to reach out to potential supervisors. While it is not required to reach out to potential supervisors prior to applying, it is strongly recommended to ensure that the faculty member you are interested in working with is accepting new students and your research interests align.
Admission requirements
- Normally a Master's degree with a minimum 75% average in a field that is relevant to the area of aging, health and well-being (normally kinesiology, recreation and leisure studies or health studies and gerontology, but other degrees in life and social sciences could be suitable as well)
Degree requirements
- Review the degree requirements on the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree
- Check out Waterloo's institutional thesis repository - UWspace to see recent submissions from the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies graduate students
Application materials
- Resume/Curriculum vitae
- Indicating past academic and professional experience
- Supplementary information form (SIF)
- The SIF contains questions specific to your program, typically about why you want to enrol and your experience in that field. Review the application documents web page for more information about this requirement
- If a statement or letter is required by your program, review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion
- Transcript(s)
- Writing sample
- Students must submit a copy of previous academic work, such as a term paper, published manuscript or master's thesis
- References
- Three academic references are required
- Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
- TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)
Tuition and fees
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Visit the graduate program tuition page on the Finance website to determine the tuition and incidental fees per term for your program
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Review living costs and housing
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Review the funding graduate school resources for graduate students